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This is about the process of how Orannis was bound. For the physical state in which he was left, see Bound Orannis.

Orannis, the Destroyer and Ninth Bright Shiner, is an immortal Free Magic being of unimaginable power whom it may be impossible to destroy. However, he has been bound twice in known history.

First Binding[]

In The Beginning, Seven of the Nine Bright Shiners bound Orannis within a metal sphere to stop him from destroying the entire planet. The metal sphere was then split in two and the halves were taken to the Red Lake in the Old Kingdom and buried deep underground, beneath wards of gold, silver, lead, oak, rowan, ash, and bone. The Eighth Bright Shiner, Yrael, who had fled to remain neutral, was found and forced to be the Abhorsen's servant for all time: Mogget.

Orannis's two hemispheres were buried at least twenty fathoms deep, which is 120 feet or 36.5 meters.

Allbells

Seven of the Blood wielding six of the bells to bind Orannis anew. Clockwise from the Disreputable Dog, who is Kibeth: Lirael, Sameth, Ellimere, Sanar and Ryelle, Touchstone, and Sabriel. Art by Amita Sevellaraja.

Second Binding[]

The binding wore away just enough over the millennia that Orannis's power began to draw necromancers and Free Magic sorcerers searching for its source. Orannis was first discovered by the necromancer Hedge, who, being promised eternal life and full dominion over the Dead, released Orannis by charging the hemispheres with lightning to disable the repulsion.

Before Orannis' third manifestation, which would destroy much of the world, he was bound anew by representatives of all the Charter bloodlines wielding six of the bells, as well as by Kibeth herself (The Disreputable Dog).

The bells were distributed as such:

  1. Touchstone; Royal blood; Ranna [1]
  2. Sanar & Ryelle; Clayr blood; Mosrael [2]
  3. Kibeth, standing for herself
  4. Ellimere; Royal and Abhorsen blood; Dyrim
  5. Sameth; Royal, Abhorsen, and Wallmaker blood; Belgaer
  6. Sabriel; Abhorsen blood; Saraneth
  7. Lirael, Abhorsen and Clayr blood; Astarael

Together, they cast the spell of the Charter itself.

However, their power was not strong enough. They only triumphed due to a freed Yrael choosing to stand against Orannis this time. His reason was "Life" and everything it had to offer, and he added his song to the spell. As Orannis finally weakened, he briefly turned back into a silver sphere, and Lirael used her sword Nehima (which Sameth had re-forged with the panpipes and the blood from everyone present) to cleave the sphere in two.

Lirael had known this would kill her, but at the last moment, the Disreputable Dog bit off Lirael's hand so that the last of Orannis's power would kill the Dog instead. This caused the destruction of the Dog's physical form, and there was an emotional good-bye as the Dog turned back into a soapstone statue.

Orannis was bound and broken, and his two hemispheres once again repulsed each other. Mogget/Yrael was permanently freed, and the entirety of his original self restored, by Sabriel ringing Belgaer.


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